


Clash of the Titans

by amairel



Category: Beastmaster
Genre: Alternate Ending, Episode Related, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-08-01
Updated: 2001-08-01
Packaged: 2017-12-25 06:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/950038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amairel/pseuds/amairel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate ending to Clash of the Titans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tao's POV

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE1: Takes place toward the end of the episode, when King Zad’s men are getting ready to kill Tao but miss. I changed that.   
> NOTE2: ‘…’ is used for character thoughts.   
> WARNING: Familiarity with the episode is advisable.  
> SPOILER: Definite ones for Clash of the Titans.   
> DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Tribune and Atlantis Alliance and do not belong to me; only the words and ideas are mine.  
> FEEDBACK: Please, it really helps the Muse work. Send it all to amairel@yahoo.com.

Facing death at the hands of King Zad’s men once again, Tao wondered at how his life had seemingly come full-circle and sighed. 

‘Why does my death always seem to hinge on Zad? Even with all the other enemies we’ve met, the only one who has threatened my life every time is Zad. Why?’ 

His thoughts moved away from his predicament and focused on Dar and the elephants. As an afterthought, he felt sorrow that the walls of Xinca were going to be breached and that King Zad would rule out of the once peaceful and flourishing city of knowledge. 

Unsure of how much time had passed since Dar and Zad had left, Tao attempted to get to know the men who guarded him but was ignored. Giving them up as a lost cause, he turned his eyes, and thoughts, back to his home-city. Gazing out towards the city, he witnessed the rise of a mist of fog and somehow knew that Xinca was no longer free. Attempting once more to engage his guards in conversation, he was startled when two of them grabbed his arms while another took a few steps away from him and, stretching a bow, sighted down a gleaming arrowhead pointed at him. 

The sight of the arrow brought home to Tao just how desperate his situation was.

‘I don’t know if Dar will get here in time. I hope he’ll understand that it wasn’t his fault. Arina is with him, surely she’ll make him see reason.’ 

Bracing himself for the inevitable, Tao closed his eyes and whispered an apology to the absent Beastmaster. 

"I’m sorry, my friend."


	2. Dar's POV

Accepting the offered lift from the rescued elephants, Dar and Arina left behind the breached walls of Xinca. Dar refused to think about the people in the city and instead focused on reaching the captive Eiron as quickly as possible. At the bottom of the hill where Tao waited, Dar and Arina dismounted from the large elephants. Thanking them for their help, Dar headed up the hillside and, with Arina at his side, peered over a conveniently located bush. Spotting his friend immediately, Dar watched as Zad’s men held him still and another man sighted down an arrowhead. 

Thinking quickly, Dar communicated with the elephants and, as the sound of elephant trumpets broke through the air, Dar and Arina crested the hill. Taking out the man closest to him, Dar looked around for the archer and saw him regain his focus. As the deadly arrow left the bow and headed for Tao, Dar’s heart stopped and he could only watch helpless as it found its mark and Tao crumbled to the ground. The sight of his downed best friend galvanized him to action and, with Arina’s help; he took out the remaining men. 

As soon as Zad’s men had been taken care of, Dar rushed over to Tao, who lay curled up into himself. Kneeling beside him, Dar tentatively touched the shoulder closest to him. 

"Tao?"

A low moan was his only answer and, as the unmistakable smell of blood became stronger, Dar gathered his courage. Biting his lips at the pain-filled gasp that escaped Tao’s own lips, Dar slowly turned the Eiron onto his back. 

"Tao, no…."

Fearful brown eyes stared at the feathered arrow-back sticking out of Tao’s side and the lifeblood that was slowly soaking the Eiron’s green overshirt. 

Barely aware of the presence of Arina, Dar tenderly stroked the sweat-slicked hair out of his friend’s face. Pain glazed green eyes fluttered open and an almost non-existent voice graced his ears. 

"Dar, …it hurts."

The tired voice wrenched Dar out of his daze and focused his full attention on his friend. What he saw worried him; the scholar was loosing body temperature as well as blood. 

A whisper of movement at his side brought his attention back to the almost forgotten tracker and he watched as Arina reached out and touched Tao’s forehead.

"He’s going into shock, Dar. If we’re going to save him, we’ve got to do it now."

Acknowledging her words, Dar glanced around the hilltop and motioned towards a clump of trees. 

"Gather some wood and start a fire. I’ll ask the elephants to bring some water; we’ll need a something to put it in." Furrowing his brow, Dar looked around once more and then smiled. "Hand me a gourd."

Unsure of his plan, Arina handed him a gourd and then watched as he expertly halved it with his staff. Setting it beside him in preparation for the water, he glanced up at Arina and quirked an eyebrow at her. Realizing that she had a job to do, Arina headed for the trees. 

Watching her head away from him, Dar turned his attention to the elephants and asked them for water. As they lumbered away, he grabbed the herb bag that was Tao’s constant companion and grabbed several herbs. 

Arina soon returned with wood and built a small but sturdy fire. Dar thanked her quietly and then, looking down at the arrow sticking out of his friend, drew a deep breath. 

"Arina, may I borrow your dagger?"

Frowning, she nevertheless took her sharp dagger out of its protective covering and handed it to him, hilt first. Using the dagger, Dar carefully began to cut Tao’s overshirt away from the injury. Each strip was placed in the second half of the gourd, which was also filled with water. A stubborn section caused him to pull sharply wringing a pained moan from the barely conscious man. 

"I’m sorry, Tao. Shh, it’s all right, I’m done now."

Restless movement was the only answer from Tao and Dar began to gently stroke his friend’s forehead soothingly. Smiling as Tao stilled, Dar looked up as the elephants returned with the water. Soon, the gourd was filled with water and herbs and placed on the fire for Arina to keep an eye on it. Turning his attention away from his friend, Dar used some of the extra water to clean off the blade before placing it in the fire. Wordlessly, Arina watched as he carefully warmed both sides of the blade. Finally, he was satisfied and, hefting the dagger, he motioned for her to join him. 

"I need to cut the arrow to make it easier to remove. I need you to keep him as still as possible."

Nodding in understanding, Arina used her own body weight to restrain Tao and waited for Dar to begin. 

Carefully slicing through the arrow, Dar tossed the feathered-back into the fire and focused on the remaining head where it jutted out of Tao’s side. Sparing a glance at his friend’s pale face, Dar gently grasped the arrow. At the first movement of the arrow within his body, Tao attempted to jerk away and almost unseated Arina. 

Knowing that the pain would only get worse, and realizing that Dar would be unable to focus with Tao moving about, Arina used a Nordic trick and knocked Tao unconscious. 

Glancing up at her, Dar smiled his thanks before returning to the painful task of removing the embedded arrow as gently as he could. After long and endless moments of slow movements, the arrowhead popped out of the Eiron’s side and the injury began to bleed anew. Grabbing one of the strips of cloth from the gourd, Dar wrung it out before applying it to the wound. 

The day that Xinca fell passed the Beastmaster and his companions by as he treated his best friend’s injury. Continuously bathing the injury with the herb paste, Dar was not satisfied until dawn of the next day that Tao would live. 

Once he was satisfied that the injury would no longer bleed at the slightest provocation, Dar tenderly lifted his best friend into his arms and clambered aboard an elephant. With Arina on the second elephant and the third one leading the way, the weary humans slipped into the jungle-forest and away from Xinca and her new king. 

Not until the morning of the fifth day did Tao fully wake. And by the end of the week, he was coherent enough to ask questions and the worried Beastmaster finally relaxed, certain that the Eiron was on the road to recovery. 

*****************

The setting sun colored the surroundings in red and orange as Beastmaster and Eiron overcame another challenge in their journey together, this time with a new friend at their side. United, the three humans and assorted animals faced a new day and new challenges, confident that together they could handle anything that came their way.


End file.
